498 Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



lation has been a mixed benefit, like some other special legislation. 

 The result is that the walls of most buildings in towns are built 

 in accordance with this minimum scale of thickness, instead of being 

 constructed in a more substantial manner. There is this defect, 

 however, that the table of thickness is laid down with a view to the 

 public safety — merely — with regard tO' the wall's strength, whereas 

 it must be known toi most present that a wall which might be of 

 adequate thickness for strength may be entirely inadequate to fill 

 other indispensable conditions of health, namely, protecting the 

 inmates from the effects of the external temperature, and, of course, 

 conversely, preserving the enclosed air of a suitable temperature. 

 In the case of our own city, tO' take an example nearest at hand, this 

 regulation, which is none toO' successful in England, has been trans- 

 planted bodily to a city where the conditions are such as to demand 

 in many respects very largely modified treatment. Existing legisla- 

 tion forbids a citizen tO' build himself a one-storey cottage of sun 

 dried bricks even in the adjacent villages, whilst in the heart of the 

 city it allows a factory or store tO' be erected having two storeys in the 

 roof entirely constructed of wood ! 



It is one of the j>eculiar conditions of the South African climate 

 that buildings may be constructed of sun dried bricks where no 

 greater weight has to be carried, and may be infinitely more com- 

 fortable tO' the inmates, and infinitely more healthful than a thin 

 wall of ordinary brickwork in accordance with the municipal regula- 

 tions. In the case of actual city buildings the anxiety to have hard 

 bricks in mortar is, of course, a natural one, but, unfortunately, these 

 city regulations have been in their turn appropriated without any con- 

 sideration of local conditions by the suburban municipalities, with 

 the most grotesque results. I am not citing this example in a con- 

 troversial spirit, but simply to shew the necessity for putting muni- 

 cipal regulations upon a scientific and commonsense basis instead of 

 unthinkingly adopting what has been used elsewhere, that natural 

 but objectionable tendency which is ever waging war w"th practical 

 needs. 



Next in importance to ensuring suitable materials for the build- 

 ings is, of course, the question of the number of inmates to be 

 allowed in dwelling-houses. This is a very difficult subject to 

 legislate upon, as it touches so closely upon private rights and 

 upon matters which on the face of it are of only secondary 

 interest to the community, and is shewn by the fact that regulations 

 on the subject are often found to be a dead letter. Legislation 

 in this direction comes perhaps rather near the accusation of trying 

 to make people right thinking by Act of Parliament, and is, of 

 course, open to considerable abuse, as it is obviously only in the case 

 of the humbler class of the community that any interference with 

 the private economy of a dwelling-house can be tolerated. It is 

 a subject perhaps that will always be difficult to deal with by any 

 direct action, because supposing suitable measures were insisted upon 

 in other directions to ensure healthy living we should never have any 

 fear of over-crowding. The evil among Europeans is often merely 



